44 
this bill, and you Y/ill notice that it is a very 
drastic and powerful one and concentrates a tre- 
mendous amount of power in the hands of the Secre- 
tary. The general feeling in Washington and the 
feeling that is spreading from here throughout 
the country is that there is no use going into 
this v/ar in a half-hearted v/ay. It would only 
prolong it and might lead to a disaster, the gi- 
gantic effect of which it is impossible nov/ to 
foresee. I think you can count on a united Ameri- 
ca and, when the hysteria has quieted down, you 
will find a degree of efficiency which will be en- 
couraging to say the least. We have the advantage 
of the mistakes of the Allies and, if we can arouse 
the intelligent people of the country, and we have 
such means of doing this which the world has never 
dreamed of before, through our press and moving 
pictures, v/e need not make the same mistakes, at 
least, that they have made. 
You may be able to assist very materially in 
this v/ar business. As yet no plan has come through 
which will involve any changes in your plans, but 
by the time this reaches you, something may have 
come up on which we would need your advice or as- 
Biatance. The greatest possible stress is being 
laid upon the most economic production and con- 
servation of food in this country. The increase 
in the acreage through numerous garden patches 
and through encouragement and perhaps enforced en- 
listment of workers on the farm is being discussed. 
Thousands of inexperienced gardeners are trying to 
raise something in their back yards. If you were 
here, undoubtedly you v/ould be interested in en- 
couraging the Chinese intensive vegetable garden 
cultivation. 
Unfortunately, the manure question is a very 
serious one and one which we have not fully grappled 
with. On the one hand v/e are throwing away through 
the sev/ers enormous quantities of fertilizer, and 
on the other hand v/e are cutting down through the 
increase in our automobile manufacture the manure 
supply from our animals, and the result is that it . 
is almost impossible to get anything but commercial 
fertilizer in our cities, and you know what this 
means. The use of liquid manure, made by throv/ing 
fresh manure into barrels of water, is being con- 
sidered to some extent. If you have any data on 
this subject, send it through to us. 
December 31. 1917. 
